A Hurting Heart
by jbarren1
Summary: When a young resident of Port Charles is in medical trouble, a familiar face is brought to town and old is once again new. Current cast of characters: Sonny, Carly, Ava, Nikolas, Elizabeth.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – I am not a medical expert – making it up as I go along. Pardon any discrepancies.**

 **If you're not a fan of Sarah Webber, of course you're not going to enjoy this story!**

Chapter One

The lights in the elevator flickered briefly, causing Sarah to raise her blue eyes and stare warily. Her heartbeat was rapid and butterflies were moving quickly through her stomach as she approached the 6th floor, her stop. She straightened her white lab coat, pausing to make sure her stethoscope was in one pocket and her prescription pad and pen in another. Since this was going to happen, it was going to happen the right way. She'd make sure of it.

The elevator stopped at the 2nd floor and the doors opened. Sarah eyed the unknown employee standing there with mild interest. His skin was dark and he was well muscled. He looked comfortable as he stepped on the elevator, his dark brown eyes widening with surprise. "You're new here."

"Is that a question?" Sarah asked with a practiced professional smile.

"No." A bright, white tooth wide grin came her way. "I'm pretty sure I know everyone in this hospital. I haven't seen you before, although you look a bit familiar." His eyes began to assess her in more detail. "I'm Felix Dubois, by the way."

"How long have you worked at General Hospital, Felix?"

"Three and a half years." Felix couldn't place her, he decided. "Everyone here is tight, so when someone new appears, it's a big thing."

"The news around the hospital," Sarah added dryly.

"Yes. Exactly." Felix glanced at the elevator panel. "6th Floor – Pediatric ward?"

"Yes. I'm here to consult on a case. For Avery Corinthos."

"You're the pediatric cardiologist they brought in? That's awesome!" Felix's grin grew wider, if possible. "Everyone will be so THRILLED to see you. Avery being so sick has been hard on everyone."

"This is one of the beloved families in town, I take it?" Sarah didn't want to tell him she didn't think EVERYONE was going to be as thrilled as Felix suggested.

Felix paused. "Pardon me for saying this, but you have a very distinct aura about you. And I don't mean that in a nice way. If you're going to save this little girl's life, you should probably perk up. And fast. Children can sense misery and bad aura, Dr… what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't." Sarah gulped one last time as the elevator stopped and the doors opened with a flourish. With the Nurses Station desk in her line of vision, Sarah pressed her lips together in a firm line before saying, "I'm Dr. Webber, Felix. Dr. Sarah Webber ." She walked off the elevator and towards the group at the Nurses Station. She was home at last.

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"Twinkle, twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are." Carly sang softly as she rocked back and forth on the chair in the pediatric ICU, Avery drowsy and falling asleep on her shoulder. Avery's laboured breathing was heard underneath the pink blanket wrapped around her, and Carly rubbed her back gently, her eyes sad. Why on earth was Avery, of all people, the one to have a congenital heart disease? This sweet, innocent child ….

The door to Avery's room opened and Carly's eyes raised to see who it was. She continued to sing softly and rock, lulling Avery into a deeper sleep. Goodness knows, the little girl needed as much sleep as she could get since her illness made it hard for her to sleep. Seeing Ava in the doorway, Carly went back to focusing on Avery, completely ignoring Ava.

Ava took in the sight of her daughter tucked against Carly's shoulder and felt bitter tears fill her eyes. Avery was much closer to her stepmother than she was to her own mother. Ava wanted to rage – against something or someone, but Avery's illness had begun to seep more directly into her consciousness and made her realize she needed to place the blame where it belonged. On herself. The decisions she'd made over her life had cost her both her daughters, in one way or another. With Avery, it had cost her custody time and time again, giving Carly the time to bond more closely with her daughter. With Kiki, she'd lost the trust her daughter had in her as well as the right to be a part of her daily life. Ava exhaled a soft sigh. "No change in her condition." It was a statement, not a question.

Carly's eyes briefly flickered Ava's way and then away again. She made no move to reply.

Ava felt anger simmer within her body. She hated it when Carly disregarded her, especially where Avery was concerned. However, with sole custody firmly in Sonny and Carly's hands, Ava could do nothing but play nice. "I can stay with her for awhile if you need a break," she offered through her teeth, trying to sound more pleasant than she felt. Her arms ached to wrap around her daughter and snuggle her close.

"She just fell asleep," Carly said quietly, mimicking Ava's "pleasant" voice. "Since she's not sleeping a lot lately, I'm going to let her sleep on me as long as she can. Hopefully the rest will help."

Ava watched Carly's hand caress her daughter's soft brown hair, then move gently down to Avery's back where she started rubbing in slow circles. She should be grateful, Ava reminded herself. The love Carly poured on Avery was unconditional, and Avery obviously felt a bond with Carly as well. The very fact that Carly was willing to sit in an uncomfortable rocking chair just holding Avery while she slept showed the love Carly had for Avery. Yet the emotion that overtook all others was jealousy. She wanted that bond with Avery, wanted to be the one Avery could sleep on. Folding her arms, Ava finally nodded, pretending understanding. "I hope so."

"Why don't you go see if the specialist Sonny hired is here yet?" Carly suggested. The last thing Carly wanted was to spend any lasting time with Ava Jerome. Curling her arms more protectively around Avery, Carly finally looked at Ava. "Her plane should've landed an hour ago. She should be here any minute now."

Ava wrinkled her nose, but decided not to argue. "Good idea. I'll let you know once I see her." Ava turned around and walked back out of Avery's room. She stopped in front of the door, leaning against it and exhaling a sigh.

"Carly's in there?"

Ava opened her eyes and smiled wryly. "How'd you guess? The look of joy on my face?" The sarcasm was a welcome relief as she opened her arms to embrace her … what would she call him? Stepping back from the hug, Ava reached up and gently touched Nikolas' face. "What do I call you? My boyfriend? Paramour?"

Nikolas Cassadine chuckled and brushed a light kiss across Ava's nose. "I've always wanted to be a paramour." His fingers laced with hers as he tugged her gently from Avery's room. "Let's go see who this big shot specialist is that Sonny hired. I overheard him mention her imminent arrival."

They headed towards the Nurses Station and when Nikolas stopped suddenly, Ava's hand jostled free of his. Turning towards him in surprise, she saw Nikolas' wide eyes and mouth formed into an "O" of surprise. Ava turned her eyes towards the desk and saw Elizabeth there, looking stunned as well while Sonny was grinning widely.

"Sarah! Long time no see! You have no idea how happy I am that you're here. My daughter's life depends on you."

Sarah returned the smile, wiping her palms on the side of her pants before stepping forward. "I wish it were under better circumstances, Sonny." Her eyes moved towards the desk. "Hello, Lizzie."

Lizzie? Ava wasn't sure who this girl was, but clearly Nikolas, Elizabeth and Sonny knew her.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. "You hired my sister? Did it ever occur to you to mention who the specialist was, Sonny?" She didn't address Sarah directly at all. Instead, anger flew from her eyes.

Sonny looked unapologetically at Elizabeth. "I will do whatever it takes to save my daughter, Elizabeth. If that means hiring your sister, then that's what I will do. I don't need your permission, and I'm not going to do anything less than everything I can for Avery."

"Sarah."

Looking overwhelmed, Sarah turned towards the voice. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw Nikolas, but other than that, her expression did not immediately change. Taking a deep breath, Sarah suddenly cleared her throat. "Listen," her gaze travelled towards Elizabeth. "Sonny's right. You don't have to like that I'm here or even spend time with me. However, I am the doctor on case for Avery Corinthos and I will be moving forward right away on that. I'd like all her files right away so I can get caught up to speed. Sonny," Sarah turned towards him. "I'd like to meet your daughter, and her mother. Could you take me to them?"

"I'm Avery's mother." Ava stepped forward before Sonny could open his mouth. "I'm also really glad you're here, Dr. Webber. Avery is with her stepmother, " Ava briefly glanced towards Sonny, as if daring him to contradict her. "Follow me and I'll take you to her."

Sarah nodded and followed Ava down the hall, Sonny following. As they disappeared around the corner, Elizabeth gazed at Nikolas. He stared back wordlessly and then said, "The last person I ever expected to see."

"How dare she?" Elizabeth shook her head. "She better not think things will be all hunky dory with us. I haven't spoken to her in years, since … "

"Since she left Port Charles the last time," Nikolas finished quietly. "I haven't either." His gaze travelled the wall for a moment before flickering to Elizabeth. "We're not exactly in a position to judge any longer, Liz."

Elizabeth's face turned stony. "Sarah's and my relationship extends long past her history with Lucky and even with you," she hissed angrily.

Nodding, Nikolas absently looked down the hallway Sarah had vacated. "Maybe you should see what she's been up to in the past six years. Professionally, she seems to have done very well for herself."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I have no interest in spending anytime with my sister. Nor will she be spending time with her nephews either."

Nikolas sighed. "Ok, Liz. For the record, I think you're making a mistake." He walked forward and hugged her briefly. "I'm going to go see how everything's going with Avery."

"Bye, Nikolas." Elizabeth watched him leave, biting her lip and praying her sister's job would be finished quickly and Sarah could leave town and Avery be on the way to recovery before Sarah could worm her way into anyone's life and do damage.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – I am not a medical expert – making it up as I go along. Pardon any discrepancies.**

 **If you're not a fan of Sarah Webber, of course you're not going to enjoy this story!**

Chapter Two

"See, Avery? Mommy told you that Dr. Webber was only going to look at you for now," Ava said gently, lifting a tear eyed Avery into her arms after Sarah gave her a quick examination.

"MAMA!" Avery cried harder, holding out her arms to Carly.

Carly pursed her lips, trying hard to hide a smirk as Ava's face sank into despair at Avery's word and desire for Carly over Ava. Carly stepped forward and lifted Avery carefully from Ava's arms. "It's okay, baby. Mama's here with Mommy and Daddy," she soothed, running her fingers through Avery's hair.

Ava swallowed hard to control her anger and then turned towards Sarah. "So?"

Sarah offered a small smile. "Upon an initial examination, Avery is a very sick little girl," she said honestly. "She's a fighter, though, and has a good sense of spirit. I'm going to need some time to review her charts before I can give you a full answer as to treatment, however."

Ava nodded, feeling a bit of relief that Sarah was here and focused on her daughter's case. "Thank you so much, Dr. Webber."

"In the meantime, Sonny mentioned that Avery has five siblings who are very concerned about her, " Sarah continued, looking around at the three of them, her face stern. "While I'm sure they're dying to see her and be with her, that's not what's best for Avery. This is a sterile environment," she noted, taking in the yellow plastic gowns and masks everyone had to wear when visiting. "The less visitors, the better. I'm restricting Avery to visits from her parents only."

"Biological parents?" Ava inquired innocently.

Carly and Sonny both shot a look of daggers at her, but before either of them opened their mouth, Sarah answered. "No, Mrs. Jerome. Avery clearly feels comfortable with Carly's presence, so I am limiting visits to you, Sonny and Carly only. In addition to medical personnel, of course." Sarah made a note on Avery's chart and closed it. "I will be back to speak with you once I've reviewed the rest of her chart. Does anyone have any questions in the meantime?" All three shook their heads. "Very good. I'll be back soon."

After Sarah left the room, Sonny levelled a stare at Ava. "Do not start playing games, Ava. I tolerate your presence here because you're Avery's mother and I believe it would be beneficial for our daughter to have her mother here. As you can see, Avery really wants Carly here too. If you try to jeopardize what is best for our daughter because of your petty jealousy, I will make sure you are not allowed near Avery either. Do I make myself clear?"

Ava's lips curled into a sneer but she stopped the instinctive retort from escaping her lips, knowing she'd never exist if she was kept away from Avery during her illness. "Yes, you make yourself clear," she muttered. "Well, since I'm not needed here, I'll head…. " Ava trailed off, realizing no one cared where she was headed. "I'll see you later." Ava left Avery's room and headed down the hallway.

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Nikolas watched as Sarah exited Avery's room. Curiosity had him following her down the hallway. "Well, hello, stranger."

Sarah stopped walking and turned to face Nikolas, her face wary. "Hi, Nikolas. Long time, no see."

"That's exactly what I was thinking. It's been almost 6 years since you were last in Port Charles, and now suddenly you're here." Nikolas eyed her speculatively.

Sarah sighed and resumed walking. "I'm here for a case."

"Right." Nikolas walked alongside her. "Congratulations, by the way. Pediatric Specialist. You've worked hard."

"I have, actually. Thanks for noticing." A trace of bitterness seeped from Sarah's tone. Just before they reached the Nurses Station, Sarah whirled around to face him. "What do you want, Nikolas? It's not like you've, or anyone else from this town, have reached out to me either. So my silence is also your silence. So why are you walking beside me right now, pretending to be friendly and interested in my life?"

Nikolas could feel her hurt and saw the unshed tears in the depth of her blue eyes. "Sarah, it's not like we've been enemies," he offered finally.

"You and Lucky have always been Liz's friends, not mine," Sarah reminded him. She gestured briefly at her eyes, refusing the tears access to fall. It had been a longer six years than Nikolas even realized. Not that she'd admit anything specific to him. "I see my sister has forgiven me for Lucky."

Nikolas sighed. "Elizabeth and Lucky," he paused, trying to come up with a good way to explain what he wanted to say. "They were like Luke and Laura, to an extent."

"I know – the next great love story." Sarah rolled her eyes. "Except, they weren't together. And Liz acted like Lucky was her property, her pawn. And she's held it against me since then that Lucky would dare have feelings for me. Because I am so un-loveable compared to Saint Liz, you know. "

Nikolas wanted to hug her, to take away the pain that Sarah felt. He didn't know if Sarah was aware of his affair with Elizabeth, and he didn't plan on telling her. Knowing Elizabeth had cheated on Lucky with his brother would likely ease Sarah's pain – but at a cost Nikolas wasn't willing to take. "My brother truly loved you," he said instead. "Regardless of what Elizabeth said or did, Lucky loved you for you, Sarah. Not as Liz's sister, not as a replacement for his "Laura". Lucky loved Sarah Webber for who Sarah Webber is."

Sarah gave him a shaky smile. "Thanks, Nikolas. My sister is lucky to have a level headed friend in her life. I wish our friendship would've lasted once we stopped dating."

Nikolas chuckled. "We were kids, Sarah. We didn't know how to remain friends after that emotional turmoil of dating."

Sarah joined his soft laughter. "Hormones and puberty sucked," she agreed. "Anyway, I have to go and read up on Avery Corinthos' case. The faster I can help this little girl, the faster I can get out of Port Charles and away from Elizabeth."

"If you need anything, call me." Nikolas grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from the nurses desk and jotted down his phone number. He handed it to Sarah with a smile. "Don't be a stranger anymore, Sarah."

Sarah took the paper and smiled as she headed to the Nurses Station to look for the office she'd be working in while she was in town.

"Well, wasn't that cozy."

Nikolas cringed and turned to face Ava. "Now, paramour, don't go getting all possessive or anything," Nikolas teased gently, seeing Ava's face and knowing she was about to explode. "And most certainly don't take out any anger at Sonny or Carly on me."

Ava softened at his words. True, she'd been about to blow a gasket. Because of Sonny and Carly, though, not because of the conversation she'd overheard between Nikolas and Sarah. "Old flame?" she remarked instead.

Nikolas took Ava's hand and led her to a bench. "Very old," he said with a chuckle. "We were teenagers when we dated, if you could call it that. Fast forward a bunch of years and Sarah fell in love with my brother, Lucky. Elizabeth considered it a betrayed since she was falling for Lucky again. She never considered the fact that he was in love with Sarah, not her. She cut them both out of her life, and Sarah and Lucky eventually fizzled out. Sarah left town, and here we are six years later. Elizabeth still hasn't forgiven Sarah."

"Even though Elizabeth slept with you, Lucky's brother. While she was with Lucky." Ava frowned and then smiled wryly. "How is she so beloved in this town and I'm the town pariah when she's a bigger hypocrite than I am?"

Nikolas couldn't supress the laughter that crossed his lips. "Let's not compare you and Liz, shall we?" He was amused. His face sobered slightly. "Yes, Elizabeth is being a hypocrite. I don't think she's thought beyond Lucky being the one great love of her life. She feels Sarah should not have stepped towards that, in any way."

"I thought Jason was the one great love of her life?" Ava sighed, frowning. "This is all so confusing. Elizabeth should just be grateful she even has a sister. Sisters before misters, you know. If Sarah wants to make amends, especially considering Elizabeth did the same thing, maybe Elizabeth forgive and forget. If something happens to either of them, the other will regret it."

Nikolas stared intently at Ava, not saying a word. "What?" Ava finally asked, unable to stand it any longer.

"When you let go of all the anger and all the vindictiveness you have, you are a very wise and special woman," Nikolas answered quietly. "I wish you'd let this side of you show more often, that's all."

Ava blew a kiss his way, smiling. "It's hard to be myself around people I know that hate me," she said.

Nikolas lifted their joined hands and brushed a soft kiss across her knuckles. "Spencer and I are very lucky men, then. Now – why don't you call Kiki and update her? I know she's been waiting for news about Avery."

Ava pulled out her cell phone with a soft groan. "I can't believe I forgot to call Kiki!" She leaned over and kissed Nikolas' cheek. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Nikolas watched her head down the hallway for some privacy, pulling out his own cell phone to call and check in on Spencer. Sarah's arrival in town had unsettled things a bit – hopefully they'd settle back down.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N – I am not a medical expert – making it up as I go along. Pardon any discrepancies.**

 **If you're not a fan of Sarah Webber, of course you're not going to enjoy this story!**

Chapter Three

Sarah put the last piece of paper down and stretched her arms over her head. She'd been reading for a few hours, and her body was stiff. Rubbing her eyes, Sarah stood up to stretch more of her body. Hearing a knock at her door, Sarah called tiredly, "Come in."

The door opened and Sarah smiled when she saw Felix standing there. "Tell me that mug in your hands is tea and that it's for me and I will be the happiest girl on earth."

Felix grinned. "Then you must be the happiest girl on earth because this IS tea and it IS for you." He handed it to her, chuckling softly at the look of pure bliss that crossed her face as she closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of the steaming tea. "You've been in here for hours. Any progress?"

Sarah groaned and dropped back into her chair. "Yes and no," she admitted, blowing gently on the tea to cool it down. "There's been a lot done to try and help this little girl. Her heart is just badly damaged and not functioning the way it should." Sarah bit her lip thoughtfully. "I just finished reading her chart, so I just need to figure out what approach to take next. It's like a puzzle, but one that you need to get right the first time."

Felix clucked his tongue. "That's rough. Sonny Corinthos wouldn't have brought you in, though, unless you were the best."

"Sometimes being known as the best has pressures of its own," Sarah commented. She yawned and then smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Jet lag, I guess? I left California at an ungodly hour this morning."

"Where are you staying? The Metro Court?" Felix figured that likely since Carly owned the hotel and Sarah was there on their request.

"Carly has a room reserved for me, yes." Sarah checked her watch. It was 10:00pm, PC time. She'd been on the go for 12 hours. "I guess it's too late to see Avery one more time tonight. Is there an On Call room I can take a short nap in?"

Felix looked surprised. "Yes, but the beds at the Metro Court are way more comfortable," he began, but stopped when Sarah held up a hand.

"I appreciate your concern, Felix. Almost as much as this tea." Sarah grinned at him, pausing to take a sip of her tea. "I'm out of town on this case, away from my life and things that are important to me. I will rest as it's needed, then get back on the case. I'm sure you understand."

Felix looked momentarily taken aback, and then snapped out of it. "Down the hall, turn right and you'll see the On Call room on the left. Do you want me to take you?"

"No thanks, Felix. You've done more than enough." Sarah indicated the tea. "I'll shut things down here and head there for a nap. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You bet! See you tomorrow, Dr. Webber." Felix opened the door to leave, giving her a smile. "Good night."

"Good night. And Felix?" When he paused to look at her, she smiled. "Please call me Sarah."

"Yes, Sarah." Felix waved and left.

Sarah locked up all the files in the desk and grabbed her luggage. Shutting the lights off, she left the office and closed the door quietly behind her. As she turned around, she saw.. "Liz!"

Elizabeth looked up and looked very displeased to see Sarah. "Still here?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Glad to see adulthood hasn't matured you. It's time I made a few things clear to you, Miss Saint Elizabeth." Sarah's eyes glittered with anger as she moved closer to her sister, glancing around first to make sure no one was within earshot. "I saw the look on your face and heard the words you said earlier, make no mistake. The mistake you've made is thinking I don't know what's happened over the years, Lizzie. I know you slept with Nikolas while you were in a relationship with Lucky."

Elizabeth winced.

"Oh yes. And I know you got pregnant with Aiden and thought it was Nikolas' son and your relationship fell apart as a result. So don't you dare stand here and act like you have any right to be angry at me for what happened years ago. You were not in a relationship with Lucky when he and I – " Sarah broke off, emotions overcoming her.

"When you screwed around with my ex-boyfriend, who I was in love with?" Elizabeth hissed, her tone vicious. "You're right, Sarah. I've made my own mistakes, and I've tried to take responsibility for them. Unlike you, however, I am a single mother and have had to grow up quickly."

"So Aiden's your first child then? You didn't have three children with three separate men? That's really grown up, Elizabeth. Learned to keep your legs closed yet?" Sarah spat angrily.

*WHACK*

Elizabeth's hand flew across Sarah's cheek before she could stop it. An audible gasp escaped from Sarah.

"Whoa! What's going on here?"

They both turned to see Nikolas fast approaching, looking worried. "I could hear voices and came to see what was going on and then saw – " he stopped talking as he reached them. Both were visibly shaken and when Sarah lowered her hand from her face, Nikolas saw an angry red welt across her skin. Tears were falling from Sarah's eyes. "Sarrie." It was a nickname he hadn't called her in a long time. Stepping closer, Nikolas reached out and squeezed her shoulder gently.

Sarah shrugged off his support, wiping her eyes angrily. "Don't worry about it, Nikolas. Saint Elizabeth was just proving again how she's always better than everyone else in the world. She can do no wrong, especially now that she has three kids. It means she freaking Mother Theresa."

Turning, Sarah spun away towards the On Call room. As she disappeared, Nikolas turned his eyes on Elizabeth. "Want to tell me what happened?"

"Maybe after you tell me what you're doing here so late?" Elizabeth's voice was a little strangled, and she was still visibly shaken.

Nikolas took her arm and led her to the bench. Pushing her down on it, he sat down beside her. "After Spencer went to bed, I came back to keep Ava company for awhile. Carly and Sonny actually let her be the one to stay tonight."

Elizabeth gave him a watery half-smile. "I still don't know what you see in that woman." At Nikolas' firm stare, she wilted. "Sarah just called me out for being the hypocrite that I am," she admitted. "Instead of taking it and just admitting it and moving on, I'm stuck in this permanent zone of anger. I know I have no reason to be but every time I see her, I just remember – all the anger I felt and it hits me again."

"Do you still have feelings for Lucky?" Nikolas asked her quietly.

"No, and I haven't for a long time," Elizabeth answered without hesitation. "I mean, I'll always love him. But I'm not in love with him."

"Did Sarah really ruin what could've been your big chance with Lucky?"

"I'll never really know, Nikolas," Elizabeth said honestly.

"I don't think you're being fair to yourself, Lucky or Sarah if you really believe that," Nikolas said carefully. "In any case, it's been six years and you've made similar mistakes. I think it's possibly time to try and move on. Sisters before misters, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth gazed at him. "I've never heard you say anything like that before." She smiled weakly. "Ava's influence, I'm sure. " She sighed and stood up, wiping her eyes. "I'm soon, so I'm going to finish my rounds and head home. Thanks for the chat, Nikolas."

"Bye." Nikolas watched her leave and then decided to check in on Sarah. He headed to the On Call room. He knocked once, lightly, and then gently pushed the door open. She was on the phone, speaking quietly to someone. She waved him inside and nodded at him.

"Thanks, Stella. I appreciate the update. I'll be in touch in the morning, as usual." Sarah closed her eyes for a brief moment and smiled. Her voice was thick with emotion when she answered. "Same here. You can let her know that. Ok – talk to you in the morning. Good night." Ending the call, Sarah slipped her cell phone in her pocket. "What's up, Nikolas?"

Nikolas felt like he was intruding on Sarah's private time. "I just want to make sure you're okay," he said quietly, his eyes looking to her face. The red mark was fading, but the hurt in Sarah's eyes was still very clear. "I'm not sure exactly what you said, but there was no cause for Elizabeth to hit you."

Sarah smiled sadly at Nikolas. "She's determined to hate me, and when I'm pushed, I guess I can be as cruel as she can be." Sarah shrugged. "It's her loss, I guess. I just don't need or want the attitude I'm getting from her. If she doesn't want to be sisters, she can at least be civil."

"I'm not sure why she won't let it go either," Nikolas admitted. "How did you find out about our affair?"

"Gram." Sarah offered him a wry look. "Trying to comfort me one night, letting me know my sister was a big a screw up as I was. She didn't exactly use those words, though."

Nikolas chuckled. "Knowing Audrey, I'm sure they weren't even close." He sobered up. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"Sorry about what? You don't hold any animosity towards me for my relationship with Lucky, you never called me any names or got yourself involved in that situation. What you and Elizabeth did to Lucky sucks, but you're all adults and it had nothing to do with me."

"It was a messy situation that was handled badly," Nikolas acknowledged. "We've moved past it now, and Elizabeth owes you the same courtesy."

"She's Saint Elizabeth, Nikolas," Sarah reminded sarcastically. "She owes no one nothing." Sarah glanced at her watch. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I need some sleep if I'm going to be of any help to Avery."

Nikolas nodded understandingly. "Thanks for the chat. Sleep well."

"Good night."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N – I am not a medical expert – making it up as I go along. Pardon any discrepancies.**

 **To the reviewer who asked me why I am obsessed with Elizabeth – I am not. This is ONE story that is about Sarah & Elizabeth. That does not equal obsession. And I have watched General Hospital since 1998, so I do know the history. My opinion in just that – mine. And yours is yours. As all my disclaimers say, if you do not like Sarah Webber, you're not going to like this story. Thanks for the feedback! **

Chapter Four

The next morning, Ava stirred when she heard Avery coughing in her crib. Not that she'd really slept much. Avery had been coughing all night, her breathing shallow. "I wish the oxygen would help more, baby," Ava whispered as she got up and headed to the crib. She pasted a false smile on her face for her daughter and leaned over the crib. "Hey, beautiful girl. Mommy's here." Ava held out her arms to Avery.

"Mommy." Avery reached her own arms out.

Ava felt a flood of relief run through her. Avery was responding to her! Ava lifted Avery up and rubbed her back, trying to loosen some of the fluid trapped in her lungs. "I know you didn't sleep so well," she crooned soothingly.

Avery was whiny but quickly distracted when Sarah came in. "Good morning, Mrs. Jerome. How is Avery this morning?"

"She was up a lot last night," Ava said honestly. She shifted her daughter in her arms. Avery was watching Sarah quizzically.

Sarah nodded absently, looking over the results from Avery's machines from the night. "The fluid in her lungs isn't helping," Sarah commented. "What time will her father be in today?"

Ava bristled momentarily. "In an hour or two, most likely," she replied.

Sarah gave Ava a sympathetic smile. "When he's here, I'd like to talk to both of you about a treatment plan for Avery. In the meantime, I'm going to adjust Avery's medicine a bit, see if we can give her a bit more comfort."

Ava smiled in relief. "Thank you, Dr. Webber."

"Sarah." Sarah corrected gently, with a smile.

"Ava." Ava returned the smile.

"I'd like to spend a few minutes with our patient for a quick exam, if you mind, Ava," Sarah said, holding her arms out for Avery.

Ava reluctantly relinquished Avery to Sarah's arms and watched while Sarah cuddled the girl close to her. "Good morning, Avery." Sarah talked in a soft, soothing voice to keep Avery relaxed as she settled on the rocking chair, Avery in her lap. "Remember my stethoscope from last night? Would you like to hear your heart?" Sarah fitted the earpieces carefully into Avery's ears and put the other end over Avery's heart.

Avery listened and then grinned widely when she heard her heartbeat. Sarah then moved it over to her own heart, Avery still grinning with delight. "Boom Boom!" Avery cried.

Sarah returned the grin. "Yes, boom boom, Avery." She moved the earpieces to her own ears and listened to Avery's heart, then her chest and then her back. She frowned in concentration. Then she pulled out her otoscope to look in Avery's ears and her eyes. "You're feeling the same today, aren't you, Miss Avery?"

Avery leaned back against Sarah comfortably at that.

Sarah looked up at Ava. "When she's comfortable like this, it's easy to picture sitting here all day with her. Maybe you could try reading to her for awhile? It will keep her calm and quiet and maybe the rocking will lull her back to sleep."

Ava nodded and Sarah stood up, gently lowering Avery to Ava's lap once Ava was sitting. Moving a bunch of books from the window sill to the bedside table, Sarah looked back at Ava. "I'll be back in a few hours, ok?"

"We'll be here. Thanks, Sarah." Ava rested her cheek briefly on top of Avery's head as she smiled at the doctor.

Sarah nodded and left the room.

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A few hours later, Sonny and Carly arrived at the hospital. They headed down the corridor to Avery's room, discussing Sarah's arrival in Port Charles.

"Admit it, Carly. You're not completely unhappy Elizabeth is upset about her sister being here," Sonny goaded.

Carly was torn about how to answer. True, Elizabeth had been her enemy at one point. Their hate had spanned years and many public episodes. Yet they'd managed to strike an unlikely truce when Elizabeth had helped save Carly's daughter Josslyn's life. While Elizabeth still wasn't her favourite person, Carly no longer relished in seeing her angry or upset. "Maybe not completely unhappy, but not happy either," Carly finally answered. "Maybe I'm finally grown up, Sonny," she added teasingly. "Hating Elizabeth takes up too much time and energy. I've got much better things to spend my time on – like our kids."

Sonny smiled, reaching out and lacing his fingers through hers. "Our children are so lucky to have you as their mother and stepmother." With 6 children between them, their children kept Carly constantly busy whenever she wasn't managing things at the hotel with her business partner and the mother of Sonny's oldest child, Olivia.

They reached Avery's room and went in, surprised when they found Sarah inside, rocking Avery in the chair. Avery was asleep against Sarah, who looked very relaxed.

"Is something wrong?" Carly looked immediately worried to find Sarah with Avery.

"No change from yesterday," Sarah reassured quickly. "I sent Ava to get some hot coffee and some food into her system. She didn't want to leave Avery alone, so I offered to stay with her."

"Ava hasn't left Avery's side since last night?" Sonny looked surprised.

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him. "I can obviously sense the bad history between you and Ava. However, that woman loves Avery desperately and, like you, would give anything to make Avery better. She's been glued to this room until I practically removed her by force so she could take of herself. If you guys don't take care of yourself, you can't take very good care of Avery."

Before Sonny or Carly could reply, Ava walked in the room. She softened when she saw Avery sleeping against Sarah, and simply nodded to Sonny and Carly.

"Ok." Sarah sighed. "Let's talk about Avery. Ava, have a seat," Sarah stood up and nodded to the rocking chair. Once Ava was seated, Sarah carefully transferred Avery into her lap and picked up Avery's chart. "Avery was born with two holes in her heart. These holes are causing her blood to mix improperly, and her heart is overcompensating trying to clear the blood properly. On top of that, she has an abnormal valve that needs to be corrected. Avery is looking at one, possibly two major surgeries. The valve needs to be replaced and the holes in her heart need to be closed. Then we have to work on separating her blood streams again." Sarah paused to give Carly, Sonny and Ava time to process this.

Ava instinctively held Avery tighter against her. "What are the risks?"

"Several," Sarah replied bluntly. "Paralysis, her heart could get worse and she'll need a heart transplant, even possibly death."

"And if you don't do the surgery?" Sonny asked.

"We can continue to treat with medicine and some supplements for nutrition. It could keep the overall prognosis at bay."

"What aren't you adding there?" Carly asked, hearing the "but" behind Sarah's words.

"But if that doesn't work, then it will cause damaged to Avery's heart and she'll go right to needing a heart transplant," Sarah answered. "The surgery to close the holes in her heart and replace the valve will no longer ben an option."

All three looked stunned. "Listen, I know this is a big decision and I don't want you to rush in making the decision. Why don't you think it over, discuss it and let me know what you're thinking? I won't be offended if you decide on a second or even third opinion. I'll also answer as many questions as I can."

Seeing the stunned nods, Sarah turned and left.

Ava remained silent, rocking Avery with tears pooling in her eyes. Her baby girl. Was this somehow her fault? Had she done something during her pregnancy that could've caused this? Could she have prevented it somehow?

Carly saw the look crossing Ava's face and pulled up a chair beside her. "Ava." Ava's eyes met hers. "This is not your fault. There is nothing you could've done to prevent this. It was something Avery was born with that never affected her until now."

Sonny admired his wife's empathy towards the woman who had threatened to keep Avery from him for her entire life. Their experience with Michael and his discovery of his biological father had taught them a lot about parenthood and doing what's best for your child. "I agree with Carly. Let's not dwell on the past. We need to figure out what to do now for Avery."

"I can't imagine them slicing her open," Ava whispered, grateful for Carly's words. She nodded thankfully at Carly, reaching out and squeezing Carly's arm gently but quickly. "She's so small, and those are major surgeries."

"If we don't, she may need a heart transplant eventually, which is also major surgery," Carly pointed out thoughtfully. "There's a chance that she'll never need a heart transplant though."

"And if she does need a heart transplant, what if she can't survive long enough to find a donor? I read somewhere once that children are much less likely for transplants than adults," Sonny added.

"I'm sure we can confirm that with Sarah," Carly said.

Ava looked down at the sleeping child in her arms, her heart breaking. "I wish I could trade myself. Make me be the one who was so sick and Avery healthy and well. She doesn't deserve to be in the hospital. Look outside, at the beautiful sunny weather. She should be outside running and playing, being a toddler."

"We all wish that, Ava," Carly said. "Sarah is our second opinion, of sorts. Dr. Mayes was the one that suggested you hire a specialist, Sonny."

"So do we look for a third opinion?" Ava asked, her tone slightly desperate.

"I think we should treat with medication and supplements and try to keep her healthy as long as possible," Sonny said. Carly and Ava both looked at him. "I can't bear the thought of something happening to my baby girl." His voice was thick with emotion. "She could live a long and healthy life and never need a transplant if we can treat this."

"She could also die if this gets worse and there's no heart to transplant." Ava tried not to sound shrill but the mere word "die" send panic fluttering across her body. Her mind was whirling, her brain not able to think coherently.

"There is no easy answer here," Carly told both of them. Tears were in her eyes as she looked at Avery, sleeping peacefully on Ava. "Maybe we can do both. Ask Sarah to start the medication adjusting to give us a day or two. We can see how she responds to that, and maybe that will help us make a decision."

Ava and Sonny both nodded.

"I'll go let Sarah know." Carly gave them both one more look and left the room.

"Our baby girl will get through this, Sonny," Ava said a couple minutes after Carly left the room. "If nothing else, Avery has our strong will and determination. She's tougher than both of us."

Sonny managed a small smile Ava's way. "That's for sure." Feeling restless, Sonny checked his watch. "I better go call and check on a shipment that was arriving at the warehouse this morning. I'll be back soon. Give her a kiss when she wakes up from her daddy, ok?"

Ava nodded. After Sonny left, she smiled to herself. Maybe they could be civil about Avery after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – I am not a medical expert – making it up as I go along. Pardon any discrepancies.**

 **If you're not a fan of Sarah Webber, of course you're not going to enjoy this story!**

Chapter Five

"I know it's been almost two weeks since I've been here, but things have been challenging with my patient, Stella." Sarah was talking on the phone in her office when Nikolas knocked lightly. Waving him in, she gestured to the phone and mimed one minute. "No, you can't come here. I understand and I miss you.. " Sarah rolled her eyes as she was cut off again. "No, Stella. Do not come here! I will be home this weekend, I promise! Even if it's just for the weekend!" Sarah rubbed her eyes. "Sounds good. I have to go now – I have to get my patient into surgery. Bye." Hanging up, Sarah turned and looked at Nikolas. "Good morning."

"Things not going well at home?" Nikolas asked mildly. In the eleven days Sarah had been in town, she'd kept mostly to herself and had revealed nothing personal about herself. He wondered again if she had a husband at home. Having heard that end of the conversation, Nikolas wondered if maybe she had a girlfriend at home.

Sarah grimaced. "I wasn't expecting to be gone so long," she said honestly. "When Sonny and Ava decided to try medication first and see how Avery did…" she trailed off. "I gave them two weeks. We're almost there, and Avery is not responding well to the medication. I'm pretty sure they're going to move forward to with the surgery. Avery had a rough night last night. She needs the surgery."

"You mean Sonny and Carly."

Sarah looked at Nikolas quizzically.

"Sonny and Carly decided. Ava may have been allowed input, but make no mistake. Sonny and Carly are Avery's custodial parents and if they disagree with Ava, they'll make whatever decision they want," Nikolas explained.

Sarah blanched. "Parenting is so hard. How do you put the best interest of the child in front of the anger, hurt, or fear? I see it in so many of my patients, where one parent legally can make the decisions and the other has no say. Or look at Elizabeth, parenting three kids and only one father around daily."

Nikolas heard the compassion in her tone, but he also heard another emotion he couldn't quite make out. "Have you and Elizabeth talked yet?"

"No but we haven't argued again either," Sarah replied ruefully. "She's been the consummate professional around me, and acts like we're nothing more than co-workers. I should be grateful for small favours." Sarah paused. "You know, I've been blaming the entire rift in my relationship on Elizabeth. I haven't admitted the part to her that I'm responsible for."

"What's that?" Nikolas asked, surprised. "Did you do something?"

"I coveted my sister's life," Sarah admitted. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at Nikolas. "I've long since moved past it, but Elizabeth has always been so loved. So adored. I wanted that. I wanted to feel as loved and cherished as she did, especially by Lucky. That was my original motivation when he and I became friends. I really did fall in love with him though, Nikolas. Truly, madly, deeply. There's been no one else for me since then. No one I've been in love with, anyway."

Nikolas walked over to her and hugged her. "I know you did. My brother loved you too. Whatever your motivation that started the relationship, you both adored and cherished each other. " He pulled back and looked in Sarah's eyes. "You and Elizabeth are both strong willed women, both Webber's. You need to let go of the anger and the hate and figure out a way to be sisters again."

"We've never acted like true sisters," Sarah pointed out, wiping her eyes.

Nikolas chuckled. "There's a first time for everything."

Sarah's pager went off. "It's the nurse. Sonny and Carly are here. Time to convince them to do the surgery. Thanks for the chat, Nikolas."

"Anytime." After Sarah left the office, Nikolas leaned back pensively. There was something deeper Sarah wasn't saying. He needed to find out what it was.

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Elizabeth took a deep breath as she stared at her cell phone in her hand. She'd been putting off making this call for days, but in the almost two weeks Sarah had been in town, Elizabeth had done nothing but think. She'd talked it over with Audrey, and even listening to the lectures about being blood and sisters hadn't made Elizabeth move any faster in her thoughts. Her grandmother meant well, Elizabeth thought, but Audrey was loyal to both her granddaughters.

Unlocking the phone, Elizabeth finally dialled and put the phone to ear, listening to it ring. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest.

"Hello?"

"Hi Lucky, it's Elizabeth."

"What did Aiden do now?" Lucky asked with a groan.

Elizabeth grinned momentarily. Aiden was a very curious boy and more often than not, got himself inadvertently into some sort of trouble. "Like grandfather, like grandson," Elizabeth teased.

Lucky chuckled. "If that is the case, we're definitely in trouble for the next sixty years or so."

"That's for sure." Elizabeth paused, closing her eyes. She and Lucky had a good parenting relationship of their boys. She hoped this didn't ruin it. "I actually called about something else. Someone else," she corrected. "Sarah."

There was a brief silence and then Lucky said, "What about her?"

His tone was unreadable. Only the silence told her that he wasn't a fan of this conversation topic being brought up. "She's back in town. Temporarily. Sonny hired her for his daughter. Sarah's a pediatric cardiologist and Avery is pretty sick."

"That's gotta be rough."

Elizabeth closed her eyes and surged ahead. "I… I'm … I'm not even sure what you can contribute to this, to be honest. Seeing her just brought up this surge of anger, this surge of hate. I've forgiven you for having a relationship with my sister. Why can't I forgive her?"

Lucky sucked in a deep breath. "Things are good between you and I, so I'm going to say this as carefully as possible and hope you don't take it the wrong way. I'm not sure why you were ever so angry at her in the first place, if I'm honest. You and I weren't together, and it's not like I knew of your, uh, renewed interest in me. She and I were good friends and it turned romantic."

"I guess because she's my sister. Sisters before misters." Elizabeth smiled as she quoted Nikolas.

Lucky considered that. "Let's say I was to agree – you're right. Sarah shouldn't have slept with me knowing I was your ex. So then – "

"Then why can't I get past it now that I did the same thing to you by sleeping with your brother?" Elizabeth cut him off, knowing his next point was going to be that.

"Yes." Lucky's tone was gentle. "You and I were together at the time, which makes it almost worse."

Elizabeth nodded, tears gathering in her eyes. "I know." She shook her head. "Sarah always seemed to want what I had. She always was jealous of me, and everything I did or said."

"Then that's a different issue. Maybe you're just confusing them a little bit in your head," Lucky suggested. "Only you really know. But if that's the case, don't you think enough time's gone by? What's it been, five years?"

"Six," Elizabeth corrected, wiping her eyes as a few tears fell.

"Ok, six years then. Liz, the woman I know and fell in love with more than once doesn't generally hold a grudge for this long. Unless it was Carly." They both chuckled. "I know you miss your sister and have missed being close to her. This might be your second chance to have that."

"Did you love her?" Elizabeth didn't know where the question came from, but it was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"Yes." Lucky's voice was soft. "It wasn't the same way I loved her, but yes, I fell in love with your sister."

"And I ruined it."

"No pity parties," Lucky said sternly. "And no, you didn't ruin it. Sarah and I let what happened between us happen ourselves."

"Thanks. I'd better go."

"Sure. Say hi to Sarah for me. And kiss the boys."

"I appreciate the chat, Lucky." Elizabeth hung up and bit her lip. She checked her watch. It was time to get the boys ready to go to Audrey's and head to the hospital.

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Sarah tapped gently on the door to Avery's room and then pushed the door open. "Hi," she greeted Sonny and Carly. Sonny was carrying Avery, pacing the floor gently while trying to comfort the little girl. Avery, for her part, was miserable and whimpering intermittently with cries thrown in.

"I'm going to cut right to the chase. Avery had a rough night. She's not responding well to medication and is uncomfortable. I believe her pain is getting worse." Sarah narrowed her eyes at them. "I'm recommending surgery right away."

Carly's face fell. "I was afraid you were going to say that." She exhaled a sigh. She'd been watching Avery carefully since their decision to see if the medicine worked, praying in the chapel every second she could that it would work. Watching Avery grow sicker was heart breaking. "Sonny?"

Sonny's face was stony. "Sarah, it's not that I don't want Avery better. It's just the thought of you cutting my baby open… "

Sarah's face was gentle. "I'm not without compassion, Sonny. But you hired me to do my best to make your daughter better. I can't remain in Port Charles indefinitely. I have obligations back in California. The medicine isn't working – so we either do the surgery or I go home and you can find someone else."

Sonny's face darkened. "I don't really like ultimatums."

"Don't use your mob boss tone on me, Sonny. I'm in the business of doing what's best for my patients. What's best for Avery is to have the surgery to repair her heart. I know you're afraid of the risks, but pretty soon repairing her heart through surgery isn't going to be an option," Sarah said.

Carly smothered a smirk at Sarah's tone. So many people were afraid of Sonny, it was nice to see someone who wasn't. "Then let's do it," Carly decided. "Get the paperwork ready and we'll sign it. Avery will have the surgery."

Sonny's eyes turned towards Carly in surprise. She met his gaze wordlessly. After a moment, Sonny nodded. "We'll do the surgery."

Sarah sighed with relief. "I will get started immediately. The faster we get Avery into surgery, the faster her recovery time."

"Avery into WHAT?"

All three of them turned to see Ava standing in the doorway, a stunned look on her face dissolving into anger. Nikolas stood quietly by her side. "Over my dead body is Avery going into surgery."

"That can be arranged," Sonny replied sweetly. "Sarah, as I have legal custody… sole legal custody… you can leave us to explain to Ava what is going to happen with Avery while you get everything ready."

Sarah nodded and hurried from the room, relieved not to be around for that argument.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N – I am not a medical expert – making it up as I go along. Pardon any discrepancies.**

 **If you're not a fan of Sarah Webber, of course you're not going to enjoy this story!**

Chapter Six

"Sarah."

Sarah was hurrying down the hallway to get started on Avery's surgery when she heard Elizabeth's voice. Inwardly cringing, Sarah stopped walking and turned to look over. "What is it?" Actually, she could maybe task Elizabeth to help her with this if she wasn't already assigned to a doctor.

"I talked to Lucky today." Elizabeth stepped towards Sarah, lowering her voice. Her eyes here wide and clear, no hate or anger anywhere across her face.

Of all the words Sarah had been expecting, that sentence was not one of them. She swallowed her, unable to mask the shock across her face. "Oh?" She wasn't sure what response Elizabeth was looking for.

"Lots of mean things have been said by the both of us, but I've thought about it lot lately, and I know that you're right. I can't still be mad at you for what happened with Lucky. For so many reasons, but the biggest is that I did the same thing with Nikolas." Tears filled Elizabeth's eyes. "I want to work on getting my big sister back."

Sarah was overcome with emotion. On one hand, she wanted to be childish and lash out, telling Elizabeth where she could take her sudden forgiveness. On the other hand, a lot had gone on between them. Above and beyond the stuff with Lucky. And Elizabeth was her blood, her sister. "I appreciate that," Sarah replied, her voice thick with emotion as tears filled her own eyes. "You're not the only one who did things wrong. I made a lot of mistakes over the years, and was very unfair to you."

"Thank you for that." Elizabeth wiped her eyes.

"I'd love to spend more time discussing it now, but I can't." Sarah looked at her apologetically. "Sonny has signed off on Avery having surgery and I need to get everything prepped and paperwork ready. Do you have any spare time to help?"

"I'd love to. Anything to get Avery feeling better and back to being a healthy little girl." Elizabeth cleared her throat to rid the emotion.

"MOMMY!"

Sarah barely had time to register the voice before she felt small arms wrapping around her waist. Turning slightly, she saw her sheepish nanny standing by the elevators and narrowed her eyes for a moment before pasting a smile on her face. "Hi baby!" Sarah pulled the arms from her waist and dropped to envelope her daughter in a tight hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I missed you so much, Mommy." The voice was muffled in her shoulder as her daughter smashed her face into Sarah as much as she could, her arms tight around Sarah's neck.

Sarah felt the familiar tug of guilt rush through her. "I missed you too, baby, but remember when Mommy told you that she was coming here to take care of a little girl with a hurt heart?"

"You didn't tell me her heart was hurt so bad that you wouldn't be home forever! Can't you put a band aid on it and make her better? I can kiss it better if you want." The little girl pulled away and looked at Sarah with a pout on her lips.

Sarah melted at her daughter's innocence. Before she could reply, Elizabeth stepped forward. She was still processing this newest shock. "Mommy? As in, this is your daughter?"

"My name is Lucy. What's yours?" Lucy looked up with interest at Elizabeth as Sarah stood up and rested her hands lightly on her daughter's shoulders.

Elizabeth took in the child, from head to toe. She had light brown hair, curling at the ends from the warmth in the hospital. Her hair fell to halfway down her back and she had bangs framing her forehead. Her blue eyes were confident and friendly. Elizabeth knelt down in front of her, suspicious. "I'm Elizabeth. It's nice to meet you, Lucy. Is this your Mommy?"

Lucy looked up at Sarah and grinned. "Yep. She's been gone awhile. I missed her."

"Where is your Daddy?" Elizabeth asked.

"Lucy, we need to go talk to Stella for a minute," Sarah interjected. "Elizabeth needs to get started getting some doctor stuff ready for me. I'm going to operate on that little girl with the hurt heart today." Sarah narrowed her eyes at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth stood back up, her curiosity piqued but unable to do anything about it now. "It was nice to meet you, Lucy. Maybe we can chat more later."

"Sure! Bye!" Lucy happily skipped away, holding Sarah's hand.

When they reached Stella, Sarah glared. "What are you doing here?" she hissed. "Especially after I explicitly told you to stay away?"

Stella ducked her head. "I know, Sarah, I know. But Miss Lucy wouldn't stop crying and then she stopped eating. She told me she wasn't going to eat again until you came home. At first, I thought she was bluffing but she didn't eat for three days. A child that determined needs her mother. I used my own money to pay for tickets."

"Was she drinking liquids?"

Stella looked thrown off by the sudden question. "Yes but she still needs food."

Sarah exhaled slowly, and then knelt down in front of her daughter. "Listen, bug, I know I was gone for a long time."

"You've never been gone more than one night!" Lucy protested, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I didn't mean to be that long, I promise, baby girl. But Lucy, you can't just demand to see me, especially after I told you no on the phone. Sometimes Mommy's get to make decisions that little girl's don't like but you can't stop eating until you get your way."

A few tears slid from Lucy's eyes. "I didn't want to eat and be happy without you, Mommy. Stella doesn't eat ice cream and watch TV in your bed with me. She doesn't French braid my hair in the special ways you do. And she only knows how to make macaroni and cheese from a box." Lucy said the last part like it was a crime.

Sarah shot an apologetic look Stella's way. "The only thing I know how to make that's not in a box is macaroni and cheese," she replied to Lucy. Wiping her eyes, Sarah nodded. "Fine, you can stay in town but you can't stay at the hospital, okay? You and Stella can go to my hotel. There's a pool there."

Lucy's eyes lit up. "A pool? Ok, Mommy. Stella and I will wait there. Until you come there after your operation."

Sarah gestured to Stella to follow as she took Lucy's hand and headed to her office. She got the key and handed it to Stella. "Metro Court Hotel, room 1255," she told Stella before bending and pulling Lucy into a tight hug. "I love you, bug. I'll see you later, ok? Be good for Stella this time."

"Love you too, Mommy." Lucy made no promises as she took Stella's hand and followed the nanny down the hall to the elevator.

Sarah rubbed her eyes after her office door closed. She was tired and all she wanted was to go snuggle with her little girl and watch a movie. But Avery needed her surgery, so Sarah pulled herself together and headed off to get everything ready.

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The tension in the room was thick, with Carly and Sonny glaring at Ava, who was glaring furiously back. Nikolas didn't know what to do. "Maybe you guys should take this into the hallway," he said uneasily. "I can stay with Avery. Or I can get Elizabeth to," he added hastily. Avery didn't know him that well, and she was clearly not feeling well that day.

"I'm not leaving my daughter's side until she's prepped for surgery," Sonny snapped.

"So just because you have legal custody, you get to make all her medical decisions?" Ava challenged.

"Actually yes," Carly replied with a small snort.

"I've told you many times, Ava," Sonny said, speaking slowly as if explaining to a young child. "I only tolerate your time with Avery because that's what she needs. Otherwise, you'd be at the bottom of the river rotting. When it comes to decisions about Avery, any and all decisions will be made by Carly and me."

Ava winced at his words. She considered her reply before speaking, her pulse racing as her heart pounded. "You haven't thought this over! What about the risks?"

"Avery is not responding well to the medication, Ava. If she doesn't get this operation, she'll need to get a heart transplant. And if one not found in time…" Carly trailed off.

"She'll die," Ava whispered as Nikolas slid a comforting arm lightly around her waist. Ava's eyes moved to her daughter, still whimpering and crying in her father's arms. "She's in pain," Ava whispered. Finally, she nodded. "The surgery will help her."

"It doesn't matter if you're on board or not, Ava," Sonny said firmly. Before he could say anything more, Carly rested her hand lightly on his arm.

"She's on board, Sonny. Just leave it," Carly whispered softly.

"Can I at least spend some time with Avery before the surgery?" Ava asked.

"We're all staying with her until surgery," Carly replied quickly.

"I'll just leave you three with her and go say hi to Elizabeth. She's working today," Nikolas said. He leaned over and kissed Ava's cheek. "I have my phone if you need something."

"Thanks," Ava muttered absently.

Nikolas left the room and was walking down the hall when he ran into Elizabeth. Her face was white and she looked upset. She was walking so fast she nearly ran right into him. "Whoa! Hang on there! What's wrong?" Taking her arm, Nikolas steered Elizabeth to a nearby bench.

"Sarah has a daughter." The words were out of Elizabeth's mouth before she even thought about them.

"Come again?" Nikolas asked, not sure he heard her right.

"I was talking to Sarah by the Nurses Station and this little girl came out of nowhere and hugged her and called her Mommy. Her name is Lucy and I don't know how old she is but Nikolas," Elizabeth looked right into his eyes. "She looks just like Lucky. Her eyes are his shade of blue. Her hair is the same as his colour, her face – she's all Lucky."

Nikolas didn't reply right away, trying to take it all in. "Sarah has a daughter. And you think she's Lucky?" At Elizabeth's nod, Nikolas asked, "Did you ask her?"

"I tried to ask her, but Sarah stopped her from answering and got her out of there," Elizabeth replied.

"You asked the little girl if Lucky was her father?" Nikolas' mouth dropped open.

"I just asked her where her Daddy was," Elizabeth explained. "I wasn't exactly thinking clearly, Nikolas."

"Why didn't you just ask Sarah?"

"She got Lucy out of there and shooed me away to get prepped for Avery's surgery." Elizabeth's eyes were wide. "Nikolas, if she is Lucky's daughter, he doesn't know about her."

"How do you know?" Nikolas asked.

"He has never mentioned another child to either of us. Don't you think we'd know about her if she existed?" Elizabeth asked.

Nikolas shrugged. "I would hope so, but maybe not?"

"There's an easy way to find out!" Elizabeth grabbed her phone from her scrubs. "We'll call him!"

"Whoa, Tonto." Nikolas wrapped his hand around hers to stop her. "Let's call Lucky to tell him about a child we're not sure is his? We need to be sure first before we do anything."

"You go talk to Sarah then," Elizabeth said. "You guys are still friendly. She'll tell you."

"Because she so readily told me she had a child to begin with?" Nikolas wasn't so sure. "I'll give it a shot, but she's been here two weeks and never mentioned having a child. I doubt she's going to want to spill the information now." A new thought occurred to him. "Why now? I mean, she's been here two weeks. Why is this little girl here now? And who brought her here?"

"I heard her say she missed Sarah. She wanted Sarah to put a bandaid on Avery's heart so Sarah could come home." Elizabeth smiled. That moment had been charming. "A woman brought her – maybe the nanny?"

Or Sarah's girlfriend, Nikolas thought to himself. He was not giving Elizabeth any more ammunition, though. "I'll go talk to Sarah. Keep working on Avery's surgery. And pay attention – a little girl's life is at stake here," Nikolas said firmly. "The situation with Sarah's daughter can be figured out later."

Elizabeth nodded, exhaling another breath. "You're right. I will." Elizabeth leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for your sage advice, as usual."

"Anytime." Nikolas flashed her a smile and stood up, watching as she headed into Avery's room. After the door closed, the smile fell from his face. Was Elizabeth right? Has Sarah borne Lucky's child? Did he have a niece?


End file.
